At a Dream's end
by KKincade
Summary: A dream is a succession of images, thoughts or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. Within it, there is peace and there is happiness. But it is always flawed, often lacking. It is simply not real. Or is it?


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Prologue: A Fairy Tale Ending

_My life has been perfect. All that I have done, all that I have witnessed. I have no regrets. It is time for me to leave._

Lying in bed in a stark white hospital room, a red-haired woman of ninety six lies in wait for eternal slumber to consume her. Her nurse came in offering a sponge bath. She declined. The room. It stuck out, like a blank canvas awaiting the painter. It had no other furniture besides a bed and a night table. The empty white walls offered no condolence and sharply contrasted the woman's perfect life; filled with memories. She felt the soft linen sheets against her skin, her pillow under her head. She bent slowly over to the night stand. She opened the drawer and pulled out a notebook and pen. She began to write.

_December 31__st__, 2167_

_Another peaceful day has passed in this hospital. Despite the depressing décor and weakening health, I feel fine. The people here are so nice and wonderful. I have to beat the nurses away just to get them to take a break. My family visited again today. Everyone looked so sad. Geneva and Ricky looked so cute in their little snow suits. Alan and Sheryl sat by my bed in silence. Jessica and James sat across from my bed, weeping silently. There were multitudes of others that I'm too tired to name. Everyone looked so sad. I kept telling them that I will never forget them, that I'll be with Neil soon, and that I have led a happy life. Nothing could be as honest and straightforward as that. I remember my university philosophy professor. He was quite the pessimist, insisting that there is no such thing such as happiness. How wrong he was. Despite all this good natured talk, the inevitable will arrive soon. I can feel it._

_My time will come._

_It's funny because I don't feel afraid. Whatever happens, simply happens. Nothing can change my past, my memories and my life. Nothing. I will remember it always. When I was ten, my best friend and I promised to never let anyone take it away from us._

_I remember when I was little. I remember playing with the cows on my grandmother's fields. They would moo, and run away whenever I brought Matt with me._

_Matt was cute. He had beautiful blue eyes, perky ears, and a mischievous sense of play. I once followed him into old man Lenny's yard, stole his potatoes and the pie on his windowsill when Matt insisted it. I loved him so much. Matt… he had the most beautiful belly of hair, his strange yelps and whimpers amused me. I loved the way his tail wagged every time he was happy. Matt was my grandmother's border collie. Those days were simple. Everyday I would spend in mischief around the small town watching the cow graze, or playing with Matt._

_When I turned eight, I left my grandmother's and went into the city for school. I had a hard time leaving, just like any child who has grown attached to their surroundings. My mother promised me that the city was nice, with many stores and shops. She promised that I would make many friends. All of that happened just as she promised. I soon became the "in" girl. Everyone wanted to be my friend, and I had a good time. However a part of me still remembered and longed for my grandmother's fields. The soothing presence never left me. In grade four, my best friend Melissa received terrible news. She was going to move to a place far, far away. Hesperia, to be exact. We had learned in geography that that was a different continent, separated by a vast sea. But I promised Melissa that I would never sever ties with her. During my two year stay, I had found a small park, confined by two buildings from the urban lifestyle. In there, a magnificent beech tree grew as high the buildings themselves. At the base, we buried a time capsule containing items of value to us. We had souvenirs from our adventures together. We had trinkets that were passed down generation after generation to us. And we buried a piece of paper. Yes, we were quite foolish back then, but this foolishness is something I remember eighty-six years later. That's what matters._

_As I grew older, through high school and even college, I always made new friends, but I never forgot Melissa. Our friendship was so important, meant to last through time itself. After I graduated from college, I came back into the city to visit my parents in their small townhouse. They announced that they were going to move into the farm where my grandmother still resided. They were going to take care of her as her health was waning. I also revisited the confined park. The tree was still there, taller than before. I dug at the base of the tree, except this time, with a new friend. A boyfriend, to be exact. He had brilliant eyes of blue underneath a veil of brown hair. His name was Neil. We were high school sweethearts. We met unexpectedly at a school tournament. He was playing volleyball on our school team, while I was attending after school instrumental band. What a match that was. We met at the lunch line after two hours of our respective activities. One could say it was love at first sight. He was my knight in shining armour and I was his princess. It was a love story of fairy tale proportions. However, unlike a fairy tale, this was real, and it was happening to me. We had good times in high school and good times in college too. He proposed the night we graduated._

_By the giant beech, I opened my capsule with Neil watching from behind. I turned over each artefact carefully, muttering the vows I took for each. When I reached the very bottom of the box, Neil pulled out the piece of paper. He read the words slowly, restating the oath I took with Melissa years ago._

"_Nothing will ever change our adventures, our past, our lives. Nothing ever can."_

_I put the slip of paper back in the box, and carried it back home._

_A few days later, my grandmother passed away. I remember her funeral. I had tears in my eyes the entire time. I couldn't believe that she was gone. I still miss her dearly._

_Despite my grandmother's death, my life with Neil could not have been happier. We both had a successful life as biologists studying animals in many exotic places. We got married in Tolbi. It was a huge wedding. Thousands of people were invited. We had our honeymoon in a small town just on the edge of the beautiful Koliman forest. We saw many exotic species, and ate a candle-light dinner listening to the cricket chirps. We spent a week there. It was the best time of my life. _

_After five years of working on the road, we returned back to the bustling city of Tolbi. We bought a house there, and led a quieter suburban life. We had four children. Alan was the first. He was a serious, passive boy who enjoyed peace and quiet. Two years later came the twins Sheryl and Jessica. They looked so cute together. Sheryl was two minutes older than Jessica. These two trouble makers were quite the terrible twosome. Sheryl would come up with the plans and Jessica would carry them out. When they were three, it was apparent that their goal in life was to annoy Alan as much as humanly possible. Lastly came James. Although he was the youngest in the family, he wasn't afraid of anything. He was quite the dare-devil and a born rebel. I remember the delivery doctor telling me that never has any child so stubbornly refused to come out. However, I knew that James would come when he felt it was right. _

_Life after that was exciting. I watched as my children grew up, first attending day care, then elementary school, then high school. I watched them leave for college. It was a hard time for me as the house was empty. They came occasionally for visits, but they were leading their own lives now. Neil and I both retired at sixty five. We moved out into my grandmother's old farm with my parents. My father had passed away one year ago. I've never seen my mother cry so hard. Two years later she passed away peacefully as well. They were both very old. We lived peacefully for another eighteen years until Neil was gone. He passed away quietly in his sleep. My heart broke when he left me. I was all by myself. We held a funeral for him and buried him underneath the old beech tree, whose park became a cemetery. It was a depressing site, seeing a place of such happy memories becoming a harbour for the lifeless. But not the soulless. I visited Neil everyday._

_My children came to visit me regularly from then on. Alan married a nice girl named Sarah. Their two grand children Geneva and Ricky came to visit me along with Alan. I was their favourite grandma since I routinely snuck them chocolates. Time passed slowly these last few years. It was peaceful but during this time, it was evident that my health was slipping. Six months ago, I was hospitalized after a heart attack. I was pronounced fine, but the doctor advised further inspection. I know that I am an old bird and my time will end soon._

_Now my grandchildren will attend my funeral as I attended my grandmother's. Life is so peaceful, reciprocating unendingly. I almost wish there was something more. Almost. I am content with my life, and I shall leave peacefully. I say goodbye to everyone that I hold dear. I love you all. I mustn't keep Neil waiting any longer. Goodbye._

_- Jenna_

She put down her pen and paper on her nightstand. She slid down into her sheets, preparing for sleep. This would be the last moments of her life. She slowly closed her eyes. She felt the familiar distortion between reality and dream as she slid into unconsciousness. Her thoughts became warped and clouded as she slept. Her dreams turned sweet and her thoughts happy.

As she slept, her heart began to beat slower and slower until it stopped completely. She no longer breathed, and her brain shut down as well. Jenna had passed.

* * *

Lying in bed in a stark white encasement, a red-haired girl of seventeen was sleeping for all eternity. The encasement. It had no furniture in it. The girl lies on the white plastic base, surrounded by a tight, smooth, oval wall. She was encased in a cocoon. The girl could not feel the hardness of the plastic, or the sense of claustrophobia in the small encirclement. As she dreamt her death, she could feel the familiar distortion between dream and reality as she slid into consciousness. Her thoughts became confused and clouded as she woke. She wanted to scream, but couldn't. She had never used her vocal chords. She opened her eyes for the first time only to be blinded by white. She had never opened her eyes before.

At first, no thoughts came. She felt the same euphoria of awakening that she had felt for ninety-six years. She reached for her journal. It wasn't there.

Then she realized.

She wasn't ninety-six. She wasn't old. She wasn't ill, she wasn't _dead_. But she wasn't herself. This wasn't her. She had lived her life already. Why was she here?

Could this be a dream?

Slowly, the distortion of reality – or perhaps of fantasy – was starting to set in once again. Outside of her casing, a new world, one of terror, turmoil and hardship loomed ominously overhead.

The blackness engulfed her.

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End file.
